Guitar Lesson 31

The sus4, sus2, and add9 chords with the 5th string root.

The sus4 Chord

The sus4 chord, or suspended 4th, has the 1, 4, and 5 intervals. The 4 interval is 1/2 step higher than the 3 interval. The sound of the 4 is unresolved and sounds suspended wanting to return to a 3. This is why it is called a suspended 4 chord. The numbers in the diagram below represents the fingering.

The sus4 Arpeggio

The sus2 or add9 Chord

The sus2 or add9 Chord has the 1, 3, 5, and 9 intervals. The 2 and 9 interval are the same notes only an octave apart. Therefore, you will see the chord written both ways. They are the same chord. The 2 wants to return to a 1. It sounds suspended wanting to resolve to the 1 interval. This is why it is called a suspended 2 chord. We have two fingerings shown below. The numbers on the diagrams are the fingering.

This fingering of this sus2 has a wide span that may seem hard in the beginning but it is a beautiful chord. Any time a major is written try the sus2 for embellishment.